My daughter-my client

My 15 year-old daughter has been aching to give her bedroom a new look. She chose white paint for her walls when we painted a year and a half ago and really regretting that decision. When one's daughter is the client it seriously complicates the already slippery slope of guiding a clients choices.

Here is where we are.

Custom curtains on Etsy

Budget and practicality are major concerns but also the fact that she will be off to college in a few years and I will be using many of these items as the guest room decor at that point.

I think we have settled on chevron curtains. This is the girl who wanted cheetah print curtains a few months ago so I am breathing a huge sigh of relief.

I might try to "guide" her to this Greek key pattern instead.

Here

She was leaning towards several bedding sets from Target--totally budget friendly.

HERE

She has toyed with the idea of a plain white comforter too.

Given the high fickle factor it is a wise choice.

She wants to add yellow, gray and black elsewhere. It was red and orange two weeks ago. See what I mean?

We have this Ikea Ektorp loveseat and I could get out of buying more yellow and gray pillows by giving her the pillows that I have in my family room.

If I can unload my pillows on her I will get these.

Things are getting too matchy-matchy in the family room.

All in all, I like this plan.

Stress= Nostalgia

Coffee tables and sheepskin- think Ikea

After a particularly stressful day, I often long for the good old days.

Really old days if you're me!

I find memories of my family and the places we spent time very soothing.

Most of these interiors are not exactly like the ones I remember but there are some elements that are familiar from memory that resonate with my current sensibilities.

A silver tulip table would be nifty.

David Hicks London 1972

The lacquered walls, the art, the bureau as bar, its all then and now.

Yes, people actually had that carpet in 1972 and the chairs were a common sight. I included it because of the very au courant Tangerine.

I can just see my parents having fondue and a bottle of Lancer's Claret.

I believe this image is from the 1960s but could easily find its way in to a shelter mag today, no?

This is so horrible, but I think we had that TV. The sofa and carpet look sorta familiar too.

In many ways the 1970s visually sucked.

This kitchen is hard to look at but the Moroccan lattice on the cabinets is a familiar current motif.

I would really like an all white kitchen with Cararra marble subway tile backsplash but I'd take this groovy kitchen in a heart beat as long as I don't have to wear the jumpsuit.

For those of you who did not live through the early 1970s and really like some of the mod styling, beware. By the mid 80s we cringed every time we saw any of these things.

Still, they represent to me a simpler time when I was a child.

A Friday trip

On Friday morning I had the urge to purge ... my closet. 

I also thought of a few other things that I was on the hunt for and a quick trip to neighborhood stores turned into a minor trek to Ikea.

 Ikea is about 40 minutes away without traffic.

So, armed with my camera and lollipops (they buy a lot of 2 year old time) I headed out.

 It must have been the blue words and yellow arrows that confused me. It's not like I've never been there before but I went the wrong way. Not only did I skip the second floor showroom but I grabbed a weird and totally wonky wheeled cart.

The plan was to look at and feel a LACK side table to guess whether it could be painted.

I also wanted storage solutions--remember the urge to purge.

In all of my brain dead, seriously dumbass stupor, I forgot my camera until I got to lighting.

The saving thought was that I needed to run a few options by my husband.

Duuuuuuh.

Right about here I stopped idiot drooling and woke up.

I liked this pendant but have concerns about keeping it clean.

Love but not enough light for my kitchen table.

I looked at so many things and went away with thoughts on...

these ready made linen curtains that would work in my bedroom for $50 a pair.

Interesting aside-- for us "hang 'em high drapery snobs" Ikea  finishes the tops of all curtains (most bottom out at 98 inches) but leaves the bottoms undone. Also for the non-sewing folks they include iron-in hem tape.

Still a tad short for those that prefer a proper 4 inch doubled hem, but it beats the crap out of useless 84 inch curtains.

I also found many lighting ideas that need to be revisited with the hubster in tow.

I recalled O'verlays but could not recall which items they were compatible with.

Double DUH!

It was rather tiring.

But here is what I came home with.

An array of containers to liberate my closet from "dreaded droop" or my name for stacks of clothing and unmentionables that begin to slide about after a week or two and appear droopy.

Tell me this candlestick isn't groovy! I just wish it were orange.

This huge 21 x 21 frame. I used it to frame a vintage Vera scarf.

It was meant for the 2 year old's room but it has become a happy welcome when coming in the garage entrance.

I have another scarf I would like to frame too.

Ikea has frames and then there are real Ikea frames. The former are suited for and displayed in store as a great way to frame giant kid art. The latter are more on par with something you might buy at Bed,Bath and Beyond.

My 21 x 21 frame was only eight bucks but I wanted to make sure I liked it before I went hog wild.

I bought these for the 14 year old girl's room. Two windows at $14.99 each. Yay!

 I neglected to buy hardware there. 

Stupid. 

Here is the one very smart purchase.... drumroll...

Somehow in the midst of all that yellow and blue signage I missed the kid area that I promised my little miss.

In my drooling search for LACK tables in the warehouse before the checkouts I saw this cutie for $14.99!!!!!

Santa should be so smart. 

She hasn't stopped playing with it but to sleep or eat.

Bonus for me, it folds flat in literally 2 seconds so I can stash it when I want to be all cool,  like I don't have kid stuff in my house.
I think I am headed back today.